Baloo's Trip Report for DLP May June 2010

[davewasbaloo]

Howdy friends, we are now back from our 8 day trip to France to celebrate Jessica and Sarah's birthdays. WE had a great time, and a real mixed bag of experiences. Some really unforgetable, and dare I say, fantastic experiences. Some not so great, that demonstrated the scary trajectory Disney is on, and some really good times including meeting up with on-line friends.

We had a great time overall, and cannot wait until I return. And this thread is a trip report to point out the different experiences overall.

Key Highlights - in no order, celebrating Jessica's birthday with the princesses, Buffalo Bill's (at less than 1/2 price too), visiting the World War 1 trenches, Riding Star Tours 3 times without getting off, Marriott Village Ile de France, Meeting Friends, Mikey conversing with Stitch Live, a private tour of cast only areas on the Mark Twain, the kids' first trips on ToT (hillarious) and Crush Coaster, some great meals, Festival Latina, and so many more. Being on Pirates of the Caribbean with all the house lights on and no music was a cool experience too for us as Disney nerds.

The bad - staggered hours (including no hot dogs at carts after 2pm when the park is open til 10pm!!!!), some maintenance issues, drug deals going down near the train station, and severely dumbed down dining (King Ludwig's anyone?) impacted. Not enough to ruin the trip of course, but yet again a flag of concern for the future.

Biggest surprise - well besides the Mark Twain tour and Stitch Live, was how much we enjoyed the birthday party at Auberge de Cindrillon (inc. the surprise birthday cake arrangements I made in French so as to surprise Sarah as well).

[davewasbaloo]

Day 1- Saturday 29th May 2010

After a horrendous working week, and very little sleep, we arose at 5am and were finally underway for 6:30. We arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal and did a little shopping. Looking for some new scents, we fell in love with all the Polo Ralph Loren fragrances, so a selection pack came home with us. Also, I needed some new sunglasses, and was able to procure an £95 ($150) pair of Calvin Kleins for £35 ($53)! Fab.
On the train under the channel, we decided to let Jessica open up her main present, a Nintendo DSi XL, she loved it, and enjoyed using the camera features more than we thought she would (Mikey was a little jealous as he has the original DS). But they had a great time sharing features (and what was wonderful is they hardly touched it on vacation other than lazy days!).

Over in to France, I was thinking about how in the US it was Memorial Day weekend, and how the children are getting to an age to where they could be more aware of the not so nice past. We therefore stopped in Vimy, visiting the trenches of the Great War and the cemeteries with all the unknown soldiers. It is always such a chilling reminder of how lucky the post war generations have been. As always with these sorts of places, it was a very moving experience.

We then grabbed a Mc Donald’s in Arras. Sad I know, but we did opt for the French specific McCrocs with royale potatoes and dipping sauce. Lovely, but ouch, the euro zone is expensive € 28 for family of 4 (£26, or $39).

Then we continued our journey, getting stuck in a huge traffic jam 22 miles from the resort.

While waiting to check in, we chatted with families from Italy, Taiwan, the US and the UK. Then for a spot of grocery shopping and some French bread, cheeses, cold meats and wine for dinner. Followed up with a bath in the giant soaking tub as a great way to end the first day. Villas are definitely the way to go for us!

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[bigrossco]

great report so far and nice photos that villa sure looks nice!

[davewasbaloo]

Day 2, we awoke from our slumber at a much more hospitable hour. After nipping out to the on-site bakery, we tucked in to delicious fresh baked breads and pastries with espresso for breakfast. We were not planning on too early a start as we wanted to do park close at 10pm as it would be the only time we could see the park lit up at night during our trip.

I had hoped to get out earlier than we did, but sadly Jessie was so excited, she spilled her apple juice all over me. After a quick change, we were out and off to Disneyland Paris. Today was special, because besides renewing our APs, we were due to meet with Capt Jack and his family!

Parked in Da Vinci parking near the Disney village - close and cheaper/easier than DLP car park. We bought our Aps, and stormed to Cowboy Cookout BBQ to meet Capt jack and his family. We bumped into Pluto and Goofy and had some fun. We met Capt Jack’s family, and the kids hit it off straight away. Sadly, Pocahontas playground was closed for some reason, so we let kids play on pirate beach playground. We then rode Pirates of the Caribbean (still my fav version, and the only thing not working was the woman in the barrel - the one Jack Sparrow comes out of in the US), It’s A Small World (sadly lot’s of AAs not working, but we at least saw progress on maintenance throughout the week). We then parted company for a little while and took the kids to lunch at Victoria’s on Main Street, which now does pizza (sadly DLP is slowly becoming more like the MK in WDW offering mainly pizza, burgers and hot dogs – thank goodness we still have the best in-park table service restaurants in the Paris). Also, we were going to grab a hot dog in Discoveryland, but the carts do not serve food after 2pm???!!!! What is up with that (we tried to buy a hot dog at 2:05 when we were told this). Also, Videopolis no longer have the trimming carts for the burgers, bummer.

We had our APs processes and then we stopped and watched the new hub show which was surprisingly good. Meeting back up with Capt Jack and family, we all road Phantom Manor together and although in fairly good condition, the zombies/skeletons in boot hill could use some refurb, they hardly move now. We then enjoyed our free drinks using the voucher from lunch and popcorn (7€ for a bucket) in the new part of last chance cafe. It was after this that we sadly said our goodbyes to our friends.

We then grabbed a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain and then bumped into Uncle Scrooge in Frontierland. We got in line to ride the train, and just before it arrived, Jess needed the loo). Sarah urged Mikey and I to go ahead and ride after waiting 30 minutes, so we complied. While waiting for us, mama and Jess went to Woody’s Round up and saw Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Woody and Jessie, so it all worked out well. I fear we will never see the geysers in Frontierland working again.

For dinner, we went to Fuente del Oro and enjoyed fajitas, chilli, corn fries, churros and Nestea. Again, they have sadly reduced the variety of the menu (like Cowboy Cookout BBQ which we skipped this year due to no band and a dumbed down menu). But it was ok.

We then used our Fast Passes and rode Big Thunder. Again, the best in the world, but very few effects were working (no earthquake, spinning opossums etc. – at least the waterfall and splashes were working for the first time for us in ages).

We then proceeded through Adventureland and the torches were burning, a fantastic touch I always though.

We then headed back to Star tours (3 times without getting off), then Buzz where near the loading station, we sadly suffered power out. The whole land was 101 accept Autopia which we hopped straight in line. Mikey loved it more than ever, and although he is now old enough to drive alone, he is not yet old enough. But riding with him was once again proof this attraction is an e-ticket for the young ones. Shame we got purposely bumped by a brat, but then again, so many times in the original park in Anaheim I have heard kids say they were going on the bumper cars.
We left the park at nearly 11 and headed back to the villa for a glass of wine and a soaking bath.

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[davewasbaloo]

great report so far and nice photos that villa sure looks nice!

Thanks. We love it. Having all that space makes a big difference to us, and it is cheaper than the Disney hotels, with better pools, and facilities. If you drive, it's the way to go (though the bus is not bad)

[davewasbaloo]

Day 3 - 31 May 2010 - The Resort and Val D'Europe.

Today was a slow day for us, waking up naturally instead of an alarm.

We had fresh baked French pastries and bread for breakfast, and then had a conversation over coffee with Moina who we met in Son Antem Majorca 3 years ago. Apparently, a new resort in Hawaii is due for imminent announcement and some details on pint systems too.

We took a stroll around the resort and then off to Val D’europe. We had an awesome lunch in the Chinese at La Terasse - dim sum, noodles, rice, sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, Chinese tea and water for €42 ($63). Great food, service and for the area, a good deal.

We strolled and enjoyed the live pianist and watching security on their segways. Then popped into the Disney store and the Auchan hypermarket. We bought some great groceries for the week including a number of local delicacies, wine and beer. We skipped the Sealife Centre because although it is good, we can do the UK ones for free with our Merlin Annual Passes.

Back to resort, I taught the kids how to play battleship, then we went off to the complementary welcome party.

After meeting the general manager and discussing the resort, I put my name forward to be on the board, fingers crossed. We enjoyed a lovely local organic Shiraz (or two) then back to villa. Had some local pasta, a wonderful bread, cheese and cured meat bread and fresh green beans Mikey picked with a lovely bottle of Beaujolais. It was a lovely laid back way to enjoy the resort.

We gave the kids a bath and then I enjoyed a long soak afterwards, followed by fresh chocolate éclairs made fresh that day. It is good to be a Marriott owner. We were off to bed at reasonable hour as the next day was earmarked for a full day in the Walt Disney Studios (more than a one day park if done properly).

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[davewasbaloo]

Day 4 - 1 June 2010 in Walt Disney Studios

The morning started with some fun with nature as we were paid a visit by about 19 ducks and ducklings at our back door. One duckling even kept trying to cuddle. It was a great way to start the day.

After waking up too late to do extra magic hours justice, we headed to the parks after breakfast. We were into the studios shortly before opening and proved that despite the hyperbole on the web, this little park does truly take more than one day to do it justice. And it was a real mixed bag day with some unforgettable experiences, and some I hope to forget quickly. But overall, I still do love WDSP.

We had hoped to hop crush coaster first thing, but it was down and we opted for cars instead, and bumped into one of the opening day cast members I have known over the years, and he came over to shake my hand, it was good to see a familiar face.

Then into Animagique, which the kids loved as always (Sarah too). I do appreciate some of the backlight craft too.

It was then over to Stitch Live for an English showing. For the living character programme at WDI, we do think this is better than Turtle Talk, which we also enjoy. We were overjoyed when Mikey was chosen by Stitch to talk, and it tickled him pink. Because of his slight speech impediment, sometimes he is a little shy, but he came right out of his shell. Fantastic, and an unforgettable experience.

But it was the next adventure that amused me. Both kids (age 4 and 7) declared they wanted to go on Tower of Terror. We made them watch it for a while. Still they wanted to go. In the queue, they thought it was cool. Then in the library, Mikey thought it was cool, Jess not so much. Then the boiler room Jess insisted on a cuddle. Again, we asked them if they wanted to leave, not a chance. We got on the elevator, and Mikey loved the ghost mirror and ghosts (Jessica freaked out). During the drops, Mikey freaked and Jessica cracked up laughing. Overall, they didn't like it and ended up wanting hugs (until they got in the shop where they soon regained their senses of humour). I asked them (trying to hold back the laughter), if they wanted to go again. They both said "no thank you", to which Mikey added maybe when he becomes a teenager. Lol. But as we left the car park later in the evening, they both asked to see if they could try it again to see if they were already braver! Lol. I think we will wait a while again for them.

After a little shopping (we were amazed, the range of merchandise is much better this year, including different sets of Mouse ears), we went to book for Buffalo Bills. It is the one treat Jessica asked for her birthday. The great news is Annual Pass holders get a free ticket their birthday week, and as Jessica's was on Thursday and Sarah's is on Monday, that means 2 free tickets. Sadly they were fully booked for the Tuesday 6:30 showing (though great news for the resort) and were dark on Wednesday and Thursday, so that is how we chose to spend the last night of our vacation. It is such a great deal.

Since Buffalo Bills was off for the Tuesday, it was time for something to eat. So we opted for Annette's. Great as always and loads of roller skating cast members compared to normal. The kids had hot dogs and fries in their frisbee plates, with ice tea; I had the Annette's Greatest hits - chicken burrito, cheese burger, chilli dog and fries (a lot, I know, but soooo good) with an old fashioned style traditional cherry coke; Sarah had the chilli bacon cheese burger and a cherry coke too. Then for dessert the kids had ice cream with fresh strawberry coulis and smarties; I had a hand dipped chocolate shake with chantilly cream; and Sarah had the cafe gormand (a coffee, mini vanilla shake, dark chocolate brownie and a doughnut). Lovely, and although a little pricey at €70 ($105), it felt good value by DLP standards.

After lunch, it was back to the Studios. Motuers Action had a full house and great atmosphere (always a real treat, disappointed no backwards jump, but looked like it was a driver's safety decision, which was understandable in the rain). And the standing ovation shows it is still a real crowd pleaser, I do not understand why this is not as popular in WDW.

Then on to Cinemagique which we always think is a real treat. I must have seen it 2 or 3 dozen times now, and the end still gets the waterworks going for me, testament of the quality. And again, the applause at the end always show I am not alone in enjoying the show.

Looking at the tip board, we had maybe 90 mins left before the park closed. Rock n Roller coaster was posted at 5 mins. But sadly a guest had a protein spill while we waited and it meant the 5 mins became 25. It was not running at 100%, but most effects inc. the smoke were working. I got Sweet Emotion too, which is my favourite track. Poor Sarah was not as lucky when she rode. There was no sound at all bummer.

We had 45 left till closing and had to choose what next. It was raining quite a bit by this time, so on to the tram tour – with views of the horrid Toy Story Play Land (testing rc racer), no video except after catastrophe canyon, no earthquake shaking (despite attraction down for months - paint job shows some refurb), it was very disappointing.

We did some shopping and made dining ressies for the rest of the week. Then to the Village to pick up our purchases from earlier in the day. It was heaving, so much so we were very glad we were at Marriott. We picked up the shopping and went back to the villa, soaked.

We stripped down and had a dinner of cured meats, european crisps, vegetables, and belgian red fruit Leffe beer (yummy). Lovely. Followed by choc mousse while watching animated batman sub zero on TV (we never had time to use the DVD player despite taking a number of films). Fun day overall.


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[davewasbaloo]

Day 5 - 2 June 2010 - EMH and the Silver Spur

Early start, with coffee and madeleines in the car for breakfast to get the most out of EMH. Got into park about 10min after EMH started.

We headed straight to Peter Pan, then the carousel and tea cups (not spinning as much as usual - nice refurb, but incomplete - light bulbs missing and half the cups still need work - hope Dumbo comes out of its refurb in better shape).

Then onto It’s A Small World, currently acting as a replacement to Dumbo.

We then walked over to Buzz and waited over 20 min during EMH (we knew at that point it was going to be a busy day).

We then visited the dragon, awesome as ever though Jessica was a little frightened, lol. And over to Pinocchio which opened early and we were in line when the park opened.

WE then made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean, this was in excellent condition, only 2 effects out.

Walked to Frontierland expecting to grab a fastpass for Big Thunder, but the queue just for fast passes was mammoth.

So we thought we would head to the hub and see what was going on and had the pleasure of catching the Paddy Wagon as the toon train arrived.

At Town Square, we waited for Tiana and Prince Naseem as we wanted to see the Dixieland band; sadly the musicians were nowhere to be seen. I was saddened by this, but at least we were able to console ourselves with a ride on the Train Eureka, the newest of the DLP livery for one circumnavigation around the park, and as we stepped off, we were ecstatic as the band were with Tiana and Naseem this time, and they were excellent.

It was then a mad dash through the Liberty Arcade to get to Frontierland for our 12:30 reservations at the Silver Spur, one of my fav table service restaurants in all the Disney parks around the globe. And there was a very welcome surprise. In addition to great food, great service, a show kitchen and a wonderful setting, there was also a music duo - piano and trumpet, which kicked it all up several notches.

We were greeted with our complementary Kirs and orange juices for the kids (I love the VIP treatment of the Dream Annual passes). Then the kids had the salad, ministeak and fruit salad combo (I had to take their artichoke hearts though as they were not keen - poor kids, they were lovely).

I had a Serrano Ham and olive focaccia starter, followed by the 58 day aged steak and Sarah had the same starter, with a bbq rib, veal sausage and smoked chicken combo. This was washed down with a lovely fair trade organic Grenache, very nice.

For dessert, I had the vanilla cheesecake and raspberry coulis. Sarah opted for the dark chocolate and pistachio cake which we followed with a double espresso and dark chocolate. As usual, the experience was sublime.

After our 2 and a half hour dining extravaganza, it was on to the Mark Twain. When I was explaining how the wheel worked, the cast member took a shine to us and gave us a tour including the cast member only boiler room! Awesome lady!

After that really fantastic memory, it was into Phantom Manor, followed by an exploration of boot hill. Sadly, it seems like the geysers may never erupt again

But the kids always get a kick out of the crypt with the beating heart.

We then went into Adventureland and explored Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Sadly the visibility was not good enough today to see the Eiffel tower. But the kids got a kick out of it.

We then made our way down to Main Street, and it was heaving with people waiting for the parade. Thank goodness for the arcades. We nipped through them and 10 minutes before the parade started (probably the best parade in the English speaking parks), we found an unobscured spot where we could sit down and watch (one of my secret locations). It was good, and some of the Toy Story army men made a fuss of Mikey. Their line dance routine was a first for me, they were good.

The kids nearly fell asleep when waiting, so we decided to leave after the parade, delayed a little by the mime artists and the excellent street dance crew in the public train station plaza. Sadly, the street vendors appear to be selling more than just Eiffel towers and cuddly toys. I discovered their stash procedure it seems for Dizzyland. Not very magical it all. Thankfully the kids were oblivious.

We got to the car and were pleasantly surprised to find it was 24 degrees. So we headed back to the villa and changed to head off for a swim.

After a nearly 90 min session, Sarah took the kids back and let me chill out in the Jacuzzi, followed by a Turkish bath in the club house.

Then it was a light meal of local bread, brie, roule and salami with crudities and fresh juice. Lovely!


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[smurfy74]

loving your trip report

[davewasbaloo]

Thanks Smurfy. I am having problems uploading photos, but here is the next installment. The rest may need to wait until further in the week.

Day 6, Jessica's 5th birthday 3 June 2010

No alarms today, such bliss. Instead I was awakened by the birthday girl cuddling us in bed, at about 7.

We had a lazy morning watching cartoons in bed with cookies until her brother got up. Then it was present time. She had already got her Ds, but today she got some accessories, games, a zhuzhu pet robot hamster and some new clothes.

We were keen to get her dressed up and out to the park, but the birthday girl asked to go swimming again. So we had a brunch of eggs, french bread, smoked sausage and apricot juice, and it was time for a tidy and a swim.

We tried the outdoor pool, but despite the 80 degree temps, it had been cold for a few weeks before and the outside pool was freezing, so into the indoor pool. Mikey is starting to get there with some swimming without floatation devices, but not quite. We finished off with the jacuzzi and a chat. Jessica said she wanted to stay in the pool all day, however, we coaxed her out, stating we wanted to get her sweets to give out at school.

After putting her in her ball gown, applying a little light make up, it was off to the parks. We managed to get a parking spot really close to the entrance and were in the park for a little after 1:30.

We went straight to City Hall to get Jess a birthday sticker and she was treated like a princess. We were then escorted to a private office where Mickey had left a birthday message for her. She was thrilled. Mikey also got a name badge to make him feel more special.

We got to the hub about 7 minutes before the Next Generation Show was due to start and found a prime viewing position behind a trash can. Although I am really disappointed with how little live music is in DLP compared to the US parks, and I am missing the big extravaganzas in the theatres, this show is pretty good and the kids love it. Mickey changing costumes for each scene, and the transformation of Nazeem from Frog to Prince is very special indeed. It is a definite improvement over last year's Mickey's Magical Party. Overall, very good.

We then explored the Nautilus, which I adore. A load of people were expecting a ride, which is a shame, this is a great atmosphere piece (though it could use some tlc). Mike was a little freaked out by the AA squid attack. Jessie loved it. Yet when it comes to the dragon, it is the other way around. Lol.

We swung by HISTA/Capt EO to see if there were any previews. Sadly not. Oh well, good excuse to come back in the summer.

While going for a pit stop in the Hyperion, we were very pleased to see the African Tam Tams. Annoying they were performing in Discoveryland rather than in Adventureland where they belong, but they were a very welcome sight, always a pleasure.

We high tailed it over to Fantasyland for Jessica's surprise treat at 3pm. We had dinner reservations at Auberge De Cindrillon. We always used to adore dining in this fine french restaurant, but they introduced the new character experience with the €59 ($90) per adult €24 ($36) per kid menu a few years ago that put us off. But the kids are growing up fast and Jessica is Cinderella mad, so we went for it. And I am really glad we did.

As we entered, Cinderella greeted the children and wished Jessica a very special birthday. They had their photos taken and 7 prints were delivered (included in the price) at the end of the meal. We were then shown to our table, and had a wonderful cast member who saw to our every need (including seamless service when Mikey knocked mama's wine all over her and her dinner - within 5 mins there were fresh linens, a new dish with fresh food and a new glass of wine - with discretion and a smile, as well as a wonderful way with children).

We were served with our non alcoholic cocktails and garlic prawns when we arrived at our table, the children opted for milk. Then shortly thereafter the herald announced the arrival of Belle and her Prince (also joined by princess Aurora, Ariel and the mice of Cinderella). They came in and next to our table, Beauty and the Beast waltzed. I know it sounds precious, but it was lovely, and Jess was star struck. We had meet and greets, and when they were done, the starters were served (kudos to DLP on this one, most character meals are annoying as the food is interrupted by the characters, but not in this case).

The meal I am pleased to say was of a high quality. The kids started with a medley of salmon mouse, garlic and tomato tartar, and a buffalo mozzarella and tomato kebab. We had smoked salmon, the tomato tartar and pate fois gras with fresh bread and D'Isgny (yes, where Walt's family are from) butter.

There was a choice of white, rose or red wine included with the meal, we opted for the red which had quite a good bouquet.

For the main course, the children had parma ham mickey raviolli and a tomato and basil sauce. It was very good. Sarah had opted for lamb with potatoes au gratin and veggies; and I had the sublime veal with the au gratin and veggies. It was excellent.

Then on to another surprise. Jessica looked disappointed whenever another table had a birthday wish. What nobody, including Sarah knew, was I had arranged for a cake. To ensure discretion, I had made arrangements in French so the family did not know it was coming.

So after the meal, about 8 cast members, plus Ariel, Belle and the Beast came to our table singing happy birthday with hugs and kisses for Jess. She and Sarah were overwhelmed (and I must confess my eyes misted up a little too). Even Mike enjoyed it.

The chocolate cake had a white chocolate tablet where it said in French “Happy Birthday Jessica”. So great.

So dessert consisted of for the kids - a candy floss strawberry milkshake, sorbet cone, a white chocolate Cinderella slipper and birthday cake. For the adults we had the cake, a raspberry tart, a chocolate, apricot and chantilly cake, and a pistachio mouse. Sublime. We followed up with coffee and petit fours. It was wonderful, and testament that DLP does offer some of the best dining experiences in a MK park.

We opted for a ride on Snow White's Scary Adventure, and then were going to look around Alice's Labyrinth, but it looked like half the effects weren't working and there was a long queue. So we opted for Pirates of the Caribbean with a 5 min wait. It was fun, but we were in the jail scene before the 1st drop for quite a while backed up. Then when we were in the burning village before the 2nd drop, the ride stopped. After a while the soundtrack stopped and the pirates still danced with no sound. It was eerie. The announcements came up in 5 languages to stay seated and then the house lights came up and cast members appeared. They said they were going to restart the attraction and if that did not work, we would have to evacuate. Mikey was very nervous at that prospect. But we rode the rest of the way round and got off. The nerd in me really enjoyed it, but I felt for the first timers.

We then spent some quality time exploring the caves of adventure isle and crossing the suspension and barrel bridges. I always love finding the hidden throne, treasure and looking up through the caves into the leaves of the tree house. Sadly, I fear the seesaw rock will never function again

We then got in line for Big Thunder Mountain 3 mins before park closing. 20 mins later, it broke down and they announced an evac. So we got out of the line, enjoyed the end of the last Next Gen show and picked up Jessica's classmate sweets as promised. As we got to the car, Jess proclaimed it was her best birthday ever. Pure magic.

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Part 2 photos to follow later in the week.

[tubbsy]

Great report DavewasBaloo.
Auberge sounds like its really worth it. In the Auberge thread it has been said the slipper had been discontinued for the children's dessert. Its good to hear your little ones managed to enjoy it.
Your villa and the facilities sounds pure heaven!

[dagobert]

Thanks for your great trip report. I'm glad you liked Auberge de Cendrillon and your kids had such a lovely time there. We haven't been there since Disney transformed this lovely restaurant into a character restaurant. We loved this restaurant and were so disappointed when they changed it.

So what do you think about the condition of the whole resort, the parks and attractions? I know that DLRP is far from well maintained, but in February we were very surprised by the good condition of the attractions and the cleaness of the parks. We really didn't expect that.

I'm also glad to hear that Disney is offering a broader selection of merchandise. Now I hope that they will bring back more attraction based pins and merchandise. In February we were very disappointed by the merchandise and so I had to write a complaint to Disney. That wasn't the only thing we had to complain about.

It's really annoying that Disney is still doing these strange opening and closing times of the attractions.

[Aurora]

I enjoyed you TR very much. And I`m soooo jealous, that you got to see Belle in the Auberge. I`m seriously thinking of doing a meal there in fall, when we go...
Thanks for posting, and great pictures too.
Aurora

[davewasbaloo]

Great report DavewasBaloo.
Auberge sounds like its really worth it. In the Auberge thread it has been said the slipper had been discontinued for the children's dessert. Its good to hear your little ones managed to enjoy it.
Your villa and the facilities sounds pure heaven!

Well, to be fair, it is not the big White Chocolate Slipper full of sponge and dark chocolate mousse anymore. It is a little white chocolate slipper. They kids are not keen on the more bitter European dark chocolate anyway, so this went down much better with them.

I was cynical about the Auberge as it is more expensive than Buffalo Bills (which I still think is better value), but I wa suitably impressed. And more importantly, my girls' were delighted with their birthday treats.

[davewasbaloo]

Here are the Part 2 pictures from Jessica's birthday including Pirates of the Caribbean with the house lights up.

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[davewasbaloo]

Thanks for your great trip report. I'm glad you liked Auberge de Cendrillon and your kids had such a lovely time there. We haven't been there since Disney transformed this lovely restaurant into a character restaurant. We loved this restaurant and were so disappointed when they changed it.

Me too, but my daughter is princess mad and likes the food, so it was worth it for this special occasion. But I agree, I would prefer it if it were simply a good table service restaurant again.

So what do you think about the condition of the whole resort, the parks and attractions? I know that DLRP is far from well maintained, but in February we were very surprised by the good condition of the attractions and the cleaness of the parks. We really didn't expect that.

Hmmm, a real mixed bag. Some things had been improved (like the paint job on catastrophe canyon, the castle bridge, the refurbed Teepees and PotC and PM were in reasonable order), and there were signs of maintenance everywhere. But significant effects were broken in Discoveryland, Big Thunder Mountain, the Tram Tour, Nautilus etc. And to be honest, that is pretty unacceptable. Also the tea cups were only half done, whch was surprising. Also, we did see a lot of broken name bricks at the Studios, which was aweful.

Also, although we made light of it, there were breakdowns on Buzz, PotC and Big Thunder mountain that meant we queued for ages and then didn't get to ride or in the case of PotC were trapped for 30 minutes (though as fans we enjoyed this, I felt for the newbies where it ruined their ride)

It was the dumbing down of the dining that really got to me. As a result we ate off site more often than not.

I'm also glad to hear that Disney is offering a broader selection of merchandise. Now I hope that they will bring back more attraction based pins and merchandise. In February we were very disappointed by the merchandise and so I had to write a complaint to Disney. That wasn't the only thing we had to complain about.

Well they have improved here greatly since our last visit. They have a whole host of merchandise this year that showcase Phantom Manor, Tower of Terror, Indy, the Carousel and Pirates of the Caribbean. Pins, t-shirts, tins, bags, hats, pens etc. As well as mouse ears. It was great to see. The bad news was you could buy the same stuff in all the stores, no point hunting around anymore.

It's really annoying that Disney is still doing these strange opening and closing times of the attractions.

Very, we skipped our planned trips off site so the kids could fit in everything they wanted to do. Shame really, but maybe Disney got what they wanted. I know they are not doing very well, but this is bad show IMHO. They do it in the US parks too. But I remember reading how Walt used to insist everything be open for guests all the time. He would have a fit (but back in those days, they had refurbs at night, and the park was closed 2 days a week in the off season where refurbs would be done too).

[davewasbaloo]

Day 7 - 4 June 2010

For our last full day, we opted to wake naturally, and Mike came in a panic at 7:30 thinking we had over slept. Lol. It's a vacation, and our days of commando storming the parks from open to close are long behind us, especially with little ones.

We enjoyed some fresh baked goodies for breakfast from the resort bakery, and the kids and I made our way to the pool while Sarah started packing. It was lovely and sunny, but the water was too cold in the outdoor pool. Not for some hardier guests, but it meant we had the indoor pool to ourselves for some time.

We swam and made use of the jacuzzi for a few hours, then dried off in the sun as the pool bar opened. It was lovely. I had a long chat with the manager of the resort, which was very interesting. Mikey and I enjoyed a game of garden chess while Jess was on the swings. We then made our way back to the villa for an al fresco lunch of fresh baguettes with local cheeses and cured meats. The 86 degree temps got a bit much, so a shower was in order and then off to the crowded parks. We got into the studios for about 12:20, a little too late for Stars and Cars, but we hopped into the 60 minute wait for the overrated Crush coaster, but the kids were tall enough for the first time and determined to do it. Ah summer at DLP, a mixed bag; scantily clad clientele and noticeable BO. Fun.

We waited just over an hour for Crush Coaster. Of course it is better than the US Space Mountains. Jessica thought it was great. Mikey enjoyed it, but had his eyes closed during the coaster parts, lol.

After Crush, we thought we should get our Buffalo Bill tickets. There is a wonderful deal right now, if you are at DLP during your birthday week and an annual pass holder, then the birthday celebrant is free with proof of birthday. It meant Jessica and Sarah were both free! Awesome. Sarah got the tickets while I took the kids through the Art of Animation. Darn that Paris sand, my eyes were leaking again.

As it emptied out into the hands on area, Sarah was waiting for us. We painted the cells, recorded our voices and added sound effects, we created a zoetrope scene and learned how to draw Mushu. Excellent!

Then it was time to go to BBWWS, we were in the red river ranch. Preshow was dodgy with blues brother number (that was not around in 1892). Meet and greet with Mickey, great show and good food though. Characters were annoying, but with the exception of their awful singing part, not too obtrusive, but definately dumbed it down. The kids loved it though (and sadly that is Disney's aim these days).

After, we enjoyed the Festival Latina with salsa and tango dancing, but Jessica fell asleep on my shoulders. It was obviously time to get them back.

I enjoyed a visit with some American friends who post on TUG, the best Marriott Vacation Club board, where we discussed all things MVCI over some local libations. It was lovely.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... c52d122211

[dgdough]

Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing.

[smurfy74]

shame about your preshow, we had the gunslinger and rope lassoo man and that was authentic - glad you had such a great trip

[seanmartina]

Glad you had a great trip, seems like a relaxing disney time.. photos top class as usuall.. when you say the food has been dumbed down, was wondering in what ways, how much has the food changed this year.. many thanks